CUBA TOP CARIBBEAN DESTINATION IN 2010

Cuba Is The Caribbean Top Destination

Cuba tourism officials reported that more than 2.5 million tourists visited the island in 2009, up 3.3 percent from 2008’s record. Because of shorter stays and discounts, brought on by the global recession, total revenues were down overall. Foreign visitors generated over $2.7 billion in 2008, a 13.5 percent increase over 2007.

Public opinion polls in the U.S. indicated that two-thirds of travelers, including 68 percent of Cuban-Americans favor an end to all restrictions on travel to Cuba.

American Travel Restrictions to Cuba
The Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, which prohibits the U.S. president from regulating travel to and from Cuba and liberalizes agricultural trade, could be brought to a vote in the House of Representatives as early as this July.

If the bill passes the House, it will be attached to a Senate appropriations bill and, if approved, would go to President Obama, who already has said he would sign it into law. This would open travel to Cuba for all U.S. citizens starting in 2011.

Many tourist that visit Cuba go to the Fabulous Cuban beaches, lush organic farms, humble yet efficient schools, reforestation projects, aging hospitals, preserved historic forts and old Havana complete with a wide variety of restored classic automobiles. The relative scarcity of automobile internal combustion engines offered clear vistas and easier breathing. Cuba’s per capita CO² output is one-tenth that of all Americans living in the United States.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba
The Grand Dame of Cuban Hotels is the infamous Hotel Nacional de Cuba, a five-star hotel built in 1930 by the Cuban Mafia of those days like Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Segal, Myron Lansky, Capone and Teferante.

“There’s a growing sense in the business community that if we’re going to trade with North Korea, Vietnam, Russia and some countries in the Middle East, why aren’t Americans trading with Cuba?” said Thomas J. Donahue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (back in 2001) “People are asking fundamental questions about a policy that’s clearly illogical”.

A new Cuba Research Report entitled “Cuba at the Crossroads The Role of the U.S. Hospitality Industry in Cuba Tourism Initiatives” stated in 2007,

“The process of rapprochement can only start with the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. To that end, we encourage U.S. hospitality business interests of all types to urge the executive branch and Congress to eliminate the embargo, which has arguably outlived its original purpose… We see a historic opportunity for profitable investment in a “new Cuba”… we contend that now is the time to advance prescriptive, forward-thinking insight designed to shift the thinking of the U.S. business community about Cuba and, in so doing, shift the thinking of the Cuban government, businesses, and people about their neighbors to the worth.”

The time to open up Cuba to American Tourism & investment is finally upon us.

Invest in Cuba

CUBA OPENS REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT IN TOURISM

BUY REAL ESTATE IN CUBA

HAVANA, CUBA. The Cuban Government has officially approved construction of residential projects for foreigners to purchase that are linked to Cuban Beach & Golf resorts, the tourism minister said Tuesday, possibly opening the door for villas that could one day ring oceanfront golf courses and other vacation getaways.

Manuel Marrero said the communist-governed island is on pace for its third straight record year of foreign visitors, and it hopes to continue expanding into the little-tapped golf market.

He said the government has green-lighted “real estate for tourist purposes,” without giving details. But the move may mean Cuba will allow tourist developments that include long-term residences—not just hotels catering to short-term visitors that now line the island’s beaches.

Investment firms in Canada and Europe have proposed building golf courses coupled with luxury housing under long-term leases with Cuba’s government. Endorsing residential zoning for tourism could be a first, albeit small, step toward making those projects a reality.

The decision would allow Cuba’s “entrance into new segments and the realization of investments in areas with tourism potential that have yet to be exploited,” Marrero said.

The island has only one 18-hole golf course and hopes to build 10 more, but has yet to break ground on any projects financed by foreigners.

Cuba has tried before to balance its drive for an egalitarian society with an appeal to foreigners seeking to own a piece of paradise. Scrambling for revenue in the late 1990s, the government authorized private foreign ownership of posh apartments in Havana and even signed a $250 million deal for beachfront apartments and timeshares with a Canadian company.

Many of those project stalled, however, failing to draw enough foreign investment. Meanwhile, some overseas businessmen bought Havana apartments but allowed Cuban girlfriends to live in them—violating rules barring islanders from doing so, said John Kavulich, senior policy adviser at the U.S.-Cuba Economic Trade Council in New York.

Cuba eventually bought out most of the residences it had hoped would be owned by foreigners.

Kavulich said Marrero’s announcement “is not new, it’s renewed.”

“Part of the caution would be we’ve seen this before,” he said. “They’re bringing it back, that’s a good thing, but we need to see what happens.”

Addressing a tourism fair at Morro Castle, a Spanish fort built in 1859 that guards the sea entrance to Havana, Marrero also said Cuba may exceed 2.5 million foreign visitors in 2010.

More than 1.05 million foreigners had come as of the end of April, the most-successful four-month span since Cuba began promoting large-scale tourism after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of its billions in annual subsidies to the island.

“It’s been surprising because we began with January and February really bad—bad because of the financial crisis, because of many factors,” Marrero told reporters after his presentation. “But March and April have been very good.”

In 2009, Cuban tourism rose 3.5 percent, with more than 2.4 million tourists coming, mostly from Europe and Canada, despite the global recession. But many visitors stayed fewer days than usual, and tour operators offered steep discounts to keep them coming, meaning revenues slumped nearly 12 percent.

While the U.S. government doesn’t permit most of its citizens to travel to Cuba, the Obama administration has eased restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting relatives here. But those who come for family travel are counted as Cubans, not foreign visitors.

Marrero said 50 percent more Cuban-Americans visited early this year than during the same period last year, but offered no statistics.

He said Cuba has 50,000 hotel rooms nationwide, many in establishments jointly operated by the government and private companies in Europe.

CALL CUBA NOW

CUBA TOURISM INVESTMENTS OPEN TO USA

Cuban Resort Investment Open to USA Investors

CUBA OPEN TO USA INVESTORS
HAVANA,CUBA - Cuba Investment opportunities are finally starting to open once again now that the US President Obahma Government has begun to open the door to the possibiity of American Investment in Cuba.
Cuba has definatly responded in a positive manner with a new Real estate and property law aimed at attracting foreign investment in tourist HOtel & Resort projects including marinas and luxury golf courses,
Cuban Resort Investments are welcome in all tourism sectors and from all investment countries including financing originating from the United States if Washington reverses its embargo on the island.

Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero stated the Cuban government has adopted "a new policy of real estate development linked to tourism" as part of the strategy to boost the Cuban Tourism economy. Cuban Tourist are one of the largest sources of hard cash for Cuba, which generates over two billion dollars annually from tourism in places like Havana, Varadero Trindad Cayo Coco & Cayo Largo.
Minister Marrerro, opening the Cuban international tourism fair by saying that Havana had gone ahead and approved a legal instrument to regulate these marinas, golf courses and other tourism investments.

CUBA BREAKS TOURISM RECORD
In 2009 Cuba broke its records of Tourist and received over 2.4 million tourist, and is enjoying more revenue from foreign tourist since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which gave assistance to Cuba's Castro govenment.

Unfortunately Americans were not allowed to spend thier American money in Cuba under this powerful economic embargo in place under American President Kennedy becasue of the Bay of Pigs since 1961.
Cuban Toursim authorities like to develop eco tourism centers and increase medical tourism with the immediate focus on Cuban golf resorts which have been invisible tothe people of Cuba since the 1959 revolution.
Cuban Minister Marrero met this spring with American business presidents & CEO's in regards to American investment as soon as the embargo is lifted. Cuba said American tourism could be "Very important" for Cuba following any positive change in the American embargo. In a sign of good faith US President Barack Obama has already lifted all travel and money transfer restrictions on Cuban-Americans with relatives in Cuba.
The next step is to lift the travel ban for americans to visit Cuba.
The Cuba investment flood gates will soon be open. The investors that take the risk now should be greatly rewarded with their Cuban Investments.
INVEST IN CUBA